I've made plans to cosplay her this June-July-ish with a OP group
and I was wondering how to achieve something close to her ridiculous
waistline (Ha! Ha. Ha...)

I have an average body type (I hit the gym three times a week to run my
lazy arse off) but am very tube-shaped, which basically means that I'm
flat EVERYWHERE/cry sob There's a tone of tricks to quadruple the size of
my chest, but the same can't be said for waist-size reduction.

So back to the nub: Is there any exercise that focuses on the waist line?
I checked the other forums and wasn't sure if the typical gain-muscle
programs would work for my case. I would be eternally grateful for any
advice on which exercise machines to use to turn a tube-type body into
an hourglass one.

Thanks for the help in advance<'3

PS: I live in Japan, and my diet constitutes primarily of bland, low-carb
Japanese food. I consider my diet rather healthy :')

Try intense ab workouts, focusing on crunches. Don't just do your average sit-ups, either: it'll help with the waistline more if you do the sort where you twist your body so your right elbow touches or extends past your left knee and vice-versa.

You may also want to look up workouts that focus on your lower abs - if you run, you likely already have good core muscles, but - for example - doing the sort of workout where you hold yourself in a chin-up and pull your knees up to your chest will really work out the lower abs, which a lot of workouts don't really focus on.

That kind of figure will be impossible unless you have the genetics and bone structure for those hips. Not every girl in the world was born to have an hourglass figure.

Some things that could possibly get you closer to it despite genetic limitations would be to train your shoulders, chest, back, and legs. Doing the basic three lifts(squat, deadlift, bench press) will help you do this. At the same time, they'll also help develop the muscles in your core which can make your waist look more drawn in.

Make sure you're eating enough and getting your protein in and you'll be fine.

Yeah I agree with the previous responses. I'd try working on toning your core and building muscle in your legs and chest/shoulders. You can't really change your body shape but toning might help somewhat. Unfortunately the costume doesn't cover enough to really rely on padding to do the job.

It's basically the practice of making your waist physically smaller by wearing a very tight corset 7 days a week, 23 hours a day (taking it off only to shower). If you start now, you'll definitely see results by June/July.

EDIT: Just to add some additional facts, do LOTS of research, check with your doctor, etc etc before starting. Get a corset that fits right as well. If you do it wrong, it could cause lots of problems.

It's a bit of an extreme for cosplaying, but it's not impossible to reduce your waist size to give you an hourglass shape. Also, don't let the photos on the wiki scare you. You won't look like someone wrapped their hand around your waist and squeezed. You'll still look very feminine unless you reduce it to an unnatural size.

It's basically the practice of making your waist physically smaller by wearing a very tight corset 7 days a week, 23 hours a day (taking it off only to shower). If you start now, you'll definitely see results by June/July.

EDIT: Just to add some additional facts, do LOTS of research, check with your doctor, etc etc before starting. Get a corset that fits right as well. If you do it wrong, it could cause lots of problems.

It's a bit of an extreme for cosplaying, but it's not impossible to reduce your waist size to give you an hourglass shape. Also, don't let the photos on the wiki scare you. You won't look like someone wrapped their hand around your waist and squeezed. You'll still look very feminine unless you reduce it to an unnatural size.

That would be perfect for an Empress Sissi cosplay, as her waistline was only 19 inches after giving birth to 4 children. However, I'm not that brave to do it. I guess I'll be a fatty Sissi. XD

For health reasons, I would recommend focusing more on the costume itself, and less on the stylized anatomy. We humans generally don't have massive anime eyes or mile-long anime legs, so why fret about matching an artistic interpretation of a waistline?

If you're making the cosplay yourself, I'd just be mindful of where you crop the jacket. If you crop it at the narrowest part of your waist, it will help to create more of an illusion of curves, since your body would flare out from there. Somebody correct me about this if I'm wrong.

And yeah, I wouldn't worry about such stylized anatomy. You will probably be more than fine, and it's not achievable for normal humans anyway.

Whoa, I didn't expect so many replies!
I feel so much more motivated >:'D
Big hugs and thanks to everyone<'333

Quote:

Originally Posted by xxfourthelement

a

Thanks for the exercise advice<'3
I tried the twist-crunch exercise last night and could totally feel the burn in
my sides. Just thinking about the pull-ups made my lower abs hurt X'D
I think I'll continue doing the twist-crunches every morning and night before
bed. Is there any set number that I should be aiming for?? (´・ω・`)

Quote:

Originally Posted by KidXister

a

I'm actually half Asian. I don't think it's genetically possible for me to have
boobs or a butt (T_________T) When I gain fat, it usually builds equally
across my body, starting with my cheeks. So more fat=ultra round face
=cries everywhere.
Thanks for the advice anyway<'3

Quote:

Originally Posted by rndmguy

a

I'd have snarked at Oda for making his girls so unrealistic, but he did
specify that Nami and Robin would have been European in the real world.
I guess I'll just have to deal with what I was born with... /shakes fist at
genetic unfairness
I never would've thought about training my shoulders or back O_O. Thanks
for the helpful advice!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaliza

a

Thank you for the advice!
I'm so dreading wearing her outfit around...X'P I'm just as worried about
the chest-and-hip area as the waist /cries

LOL, I was actually seriously considering it for a while. And then
I realized how much these corsets cost X'P
I also heard that they have bad side-effects for childbirth (probably
if worn to the extremes like the wiki photos) and I'm not sure if I'm
willing to distort my ribcage for cosplay yet...(´・ω・`)
But thanks so much for the advice!
I think I'll invest in a waist-trimming belt or something similar :'3

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetalArtisan

a

I totally understand where you're coming from, but one of my
biggest issues is that my cosplay group is comprised of Asian members,
and everyone around me is often a lot smaller than I am.
I'm just trying to be polite to the other members by doing my best
to look the character :'3 I wouldn't push the limits of insanity to
achieve a crazy-thin waist X'D
Thanks for the advice, anyway!

Quote:

Originally Posted by belligerent

a

Oh, cool. That makes a lot of sense :'3
I'll keep that in mind when making the jacket!
Thank you<'3

I think body % and stuff that configures to how easy it is for you to get and maintain a trim waistline probably has a genetic component. If you're naturally slimmer and slighter in build, unearthing and defining your stomach might not take as much work. That's a genetic thing. I'm not gonna say asian guys might have it easier, but, my body isn't designed to ever look like Bruce Lee..and I'm very lean, naturally.

There's a great article in a recent Men's Health on Bradley Cooper and how he kept up abs when he was on the set of the A-Team movie. He basically said that having abs hurts like nothing else and really isn't sustainable for him. He was like having to eat tiny sandwiches with little bit of mashed grape between scenes. He looked great, but it's not something he could ever keep up longer than he had to. It's hard being white haha. #whiteboyproblems

It's basically the practice of making your waist physically smaller by wearing a very tight corset 7 days a week, 23 hours a day (taking it off only to shower). If you start now, you'll definitely see results by June/July.

EDIT: Just to add some additional facts, do LOTS of research, check with your doctor, etc etc before starting. Get a corset that fits right as well. If you do it wrong, it could cause lots of problems.

It's a bit of an extreme for cosplaying, but it's not impossible to reduce your waist size to give you an hourglass shape. Also, don't let the photos on the wiki scare you. You won't look like someone wrapped their hand around your waist and squeezed. You'll still look very feminine unless you reduce it to an unnatural size.

I have to second this! I corset a little more casually, but I can see a (temporary) difference in my waist when I take off my corset. Provided you go slowly and don't lace down to ridiculous or unnatural proportions, you can definitely achieve a smaller waist. If you're sensible about it, this could be a good solution. They're a little pricey, but as long as you're not lacing down a lot a cheaper corset (like the ones from Corset Story) are a viable option. However, if you're focusing on just the waist (rather than the ribs) you'd probably want an Edwardian corset rather than a Victorian one.
Just a side note, compressing the ribs sounds scary but your lower four ribs are "floating". It would take a LOT to compress them permanently. Also, your organs don't start moving until you've laced down quite far, and even then they only move as much as they do during pregnancy, though that's not really something to worry about unless you want to tight lace seriously.